• The Victorian government is encouraging residents to travel to regional areas with a new travel incentive.
• Travel vouchers will be made available, with $200 redeemable when residents spend at least $400 on accommodation and travel experiences in regional Victoria.
• The vouchers will be released on Friday 11 December.
• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

There’s a new travel incentive on the way for Victorians, designed to support regional businesses as the state emerges from strict coronavirus lockdowns and recovers from devastating bushfires.

The state government is offering $200 travel vouchers to residents for use in regional Victoria. Under the scheme, the voucher can be redeemed when a resident spends a minimum of $400 on accommodation, experiences or tours in regional Victoria during specific times.

A total of 120,000 vouchers will be released, with the first tranche of 40,000 vouchers rolling out on Friday 11 December at 10am. They can be used for trips taken between Saturday December 12 and Friday January 22 – set to boost the region’s tourism sector during the summer holidays.

The vouchers will be available on a first come, first served basis through the Business Victoria website. They are limited to one per household and you’ll have to spend at least two nights in paid accommodation to be eligible.

“This year more than ever, Victorians deserve a holiday – these vouchers will make that cheaper and easier for families to get out and support their state,” Victoria’s Minister for tourism, sport and major events Martin Pakula said in a statement.

“A bit more money in people’s pockets means they can see more and do more in regional Victoria – helping local businesses and the people and communities they support to bounce back.”

More vouchers will be released over the coming months. The next round of 40,000 vouchers will come out on January 20, which can be used for travel between 27 January and 1 April. The third round will be issued on March 30 for travel between 6 April and 31 May.

Victoria joins other states and territories that have introduced travel incentives to stimulate the tourism industry. Northern Territory offered rebates for bookings made in the territory, while Tasmania’s initial travel scheme sold out in 40 minutes.

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